LELEKA

Leleka (circa 1905- September 1975) was one of the greatest chiefs of the Giri River region in northwestern Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). For nearly 50 years, he efficiently attended to traditional administration, vigorously promoted road building, and actively worked for the economic development of his territory.

Chief Leleka was born in Bobolo, now Buburu, located 150 km (90 mi) north of Mbandaka on the banks of the Ubangi River. A member of the Liboko family responsible for the local river spirits at Bobolo, Leleka was identified with the power of these spirits. Although the Congo Free State authorities had founded a state post at Bobolo in 1900, they abandoned the region around 1910. It was only in 1917 that the region of Bobolo was again visited by colonial authorities.

When the region was organised into a chiefdom in 1920, Leleka’s oldest brother, Mundjokola, was appointed provisional chief and then invested as permanent chief in 1921. Very influential in this region of the Ubangi watershed, Mundjokola gained great respect as an impartial judge in resolving disputes. Mundjokola, however, was stricken by sleeping sickness, which affected his mind, and he opposed the orders of the Territorial Agent Frauquet, who was directing work on the Bobolo-Bomongo road (Bomongo is located 40 km [25 mil east of Bobolo). Thus, the chief was banished to Lisala in 1925.

In 1927, when the authorities realised that Mundjo Kola’s belligerence was a result of his illness, they lifted his sentence. After returning home, Chief Mundjokola died following a fit of madness at the end of 1927. From the time of Mundjokola’s banishment until his death, the chiefdom remained disorganised. When Mundjokola died, his brother, Leleka, was selected as provisional chief. Previously, Leleka had worked as an overseer in the French Congo and had also worked for the Dewagenière firm in Bobolo. As an overseer, he had received great respect from the men he directed.

Leleka’s new chiefdom included not only Bobolo but also several downstream peoples: the Mangwa from near Mokolovesi, who were led by Mandongo, and the Lobala to the south, who were under the authority of Mangwaba of Bobeka. After becoming provisional chief, Leleka showed himself a zealous and aggressive official. In 1929, the Administrator Vandevenne said of him: Leleka is young and energetic. He must be watched as he could give way, little by little, to abuses. His actions merit attention. Leleka visibly aspires to progress. For more than a year, he has administered the Chiefdom with authority. His investiture will recognise a de facto situation.

Leleka’s official investiture took place in June 1929, and he continued to rule with intelligence and authority. For example, in the 1930s, Leleka was able to reduce rising tensions between the Protestants and Catholics in Bobolo by assigning individual catechists to separate geographical territories. Leleka also organised forced labour by entrusting specific tasks to designated groups. Thus, the people on the Ubangi River banks were expected to cut wood for use as fuel on the boats, the Mangwa were required to supply palm oil and nuts to the commercial companies established in the region, and all groups were obligated to help maintain the roads and trails.

In 1940, when all the ethnic groups in the territory around Nouvelle-Anvers, now Mankanza, 200 km (120 mi) north of Mbandaka, were organised into sectors, Leleka became chief of the sector of the Djamba, regrouping the chiefdoms of Buburu, Makutu, Bosira, Bonsambi, and Sikoro. He then left Bobolo, his home village, to establish himself at Bonsambi, the sector’s capital. Working with the same competence as before, Leleka’s tenacity and high standards were especially appreciated.

In 1950, the territory of Nouvelle-Anvers became the territory of Bomongo, with Bomongo on the Ngiri River as its capital. Since Bomongo was chosen as the seat of government, it was necessary to improve the road from Bobolo. This was to enable carts to carry the region’s produce to the Ubangi River, especially during the dry season when water traffic on the Giri was impossible. Leleka and his men set to work on the 40 km (25 mi) road, which followed an old track, crossing about 25 kilometers of swampland. The road was open to traffic by December 1950, although it was not finally completed until 1956.

Just as this work was completed, Leleka began work on the 1956 government project to build permanent dispensaries and primary schools at Bonsambi and Bobolo. When the sectors of Djamba and Lobala-Likoka were merged in 1957 to form the chiefdom of Djamba, Leleka was placed in charge of this new and larger administrative entity. From his headquarters at Bobolo, he was responsible for attending to all the people of the Ubangi-Giri region. Among his accomplishments was completing the Mokame-Bokondo road, already started in 1954. In recognition of his work as chief, Leleka was chosen as a member of the Congolese delegation to the 1958 International Exposition held in Brussels, Belgium.

In 1961, however, after independence in the Congo, Leleka lost his position to a young man named Manyaka, who had been elected by a newly formed standing council. Leleka left the chiefdom in a strong financial position with assets including cash deposits of one million Congolese francs and many head of cattle. While the retired Leleka devoted himself to fishing and farming, the chiefdom deteriorated markedly, and the treasury was drained.

Finally, in order to rectify the situation, Leleka was asked to assume his old post. By this time, the chiefdom was divided by rivalry between the Lobala-Lukoka and the Djamba peoples, and the African population was no longer willing to comply with government directives ordering them to work on public projects. Leleka, too, was older and less forceful, so his efforts to restore the area to its former order and prosperity failed. Nevertheless, Leleka remained in office until 1973. Two years later, in September 1975, he died of a heart attack. Regrettably, this man, who had served his nation in so many ways, did not benefit from his work. Leleka died in poverty, for after his retirement,  he and his wives and children were left to take care of themselves.

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